This is Life in Color
by Luna Myth 11
Summary: No one tells people about color before they're eighteen. It's just the way things are done. So imagine Lisanna's surprise when suddenly the sky is blue and fire is orange and a stranger's hair is pink. Nali Soulmates AU


"Hey! Cut that out!"

Lisanna ran over to the young man who was setting a fire, waving her hands. She slid to a halt beside him and put her hands on her hips.

He glanced at her and she took it as an opportunity to continue to berate him.

"You can't start a fire here." She informed him crossly. "This forest is protected land and you're risking a forest fire!"

The young man turned away from her and went back to his fire.

"I'm in the middle of a competition!" He argued. "Once I send this smoke signal, I win. Besides, I know how to control a fire! Nothing that isn't supposed to be on fire will burn on my watch!"

Lisanna crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "No one said you could have a competition, especially one with fire, in this forest! So tell your friends to leave. And then get out of here yourself!"

"Yeah, yeah, in a minute!" The man replied distractedly. "Oh man, I'm totally going to win! That'll show them!"

The fire sparked into life and the stranger eagerly blew on it, adding kindling. He did seem to know what he was doing, but Lisanna wasn't about to let him get away with damaging the forest.

She grabbed his shoulder and tried to jerk him away from the fire. "I told you that you have to stop! You could- whoa!"

The flames of the fire were orange. _So that's what orange looks like! It's beautiful!_ Lisanna thought. She spun in a circle, staring. The leaves of the trees were green. The sky was blue. There was a lot of brown around as well.

She focused on the stranger, who was also looking around in awe. And then chuckled. "Did you know your hair is pink?"

He jumped in surprise and stared at her confusedly.

"Well, your hair is white! And your eyes are… a really intense blue, wow." He continued to look around in wonder from his position sprawled on the ground. "So what happened? Why's everything in color? And how do I know what all the colors are?"

"I don't know," Lisanna said honestly, "but I do know that if we don't put out that fire right now, the whole forest could catch flame."

She walked over and stamped it out despite the man's protests. Then she extended a hand and helped him up.

"So what's your name?" She asked, perfectly polite now that her forest wasn't in danger.

"Natsu." The man replied grumpily, dusting himself off.

"I'm Lisanna." She smiled at him apologetically. "I'm sorry about ruining your fire, but my duty to this forest comes before politeness."

Natsu sighed and tried for a smile in return. "I guess it's okay, then. Maybe having the competition in this forest wasn't the best idea."

Lisanna chuckled softly, glad they'd reached an understanding. She turned her attention to the real question at hand.

"Why do you think everything turned to color when I grabbed your shoulder?" She said curiously.

Natsu shrugged and thought for a moment. "I think someone mentioned something like this once… aren't we supposed to learn about color in our senior year of high school? What grade are you in?"

"I'm a freshmen." Lisanna said, perplexed.

"Yeah, I'm a sophomore." Natsu remarked thoughtfully.

Suddenly, he lit up, like he had an idea. "Hey! Happy! Get over here!"

Lisanna was confused. "Who's Happy?"

A winged blue creature flew down from the tree tops, where they'd apparently been watching. They looked rather cat-like.

"This is Happy!" Natsu said, like it was obvious. "He's an exceed."

"Aye!" Happy confirmed, perching on Natsu's shoulder. "So what did you want? And who's this?"

"My name is Lisanna." Lisanna introduced herself again. "I sometimes work here for the forest."

"It's nice to meet you, Lisanna." Happy said, looking at her curiously.

She was probably looking at him curiously, too. She'd never seen an exceed before.

"The same to you, Happy."

Natsu took charge again, now that introductions were out of the way. He turned to Happy.

"What do you know about color?" Natsu asked him. Then he grinned. "You're blue! I didn't know that before. Are exceeds often blue?"

"Whoa! Natsu! When did you get color vision?" Happy said excitedly instead of answering the question. Then he seemed to collect himself and put on a professor-like voice. "Why you got color vision is more important, actually."

He proceeded to explain that humans only got the ability to see color when they touched their soul mate for the first time. Exceeds and other creatures had the ability all along, but humans for some reason didn't and instead had to seek out their soul mates, the person who complimented and counterbalanced them in the world and whose soul matched to theirs. Soul mates were often romantic partners, but not always. The true defining feature between soul mates, besides the ability to see color once they came into contact, was that, if they let it, a pure and deep love would form between them. True love, the kind that lasts forever.

Natsu looked rather shocked and outraged. "And they wait till your final year of school to tell you this?!"

Happy shrugged. "Apparently it's easier that way because kids will focus on their schoolwork instead of finding their soul mate."

Lisanna couldn't help but laugh. "That's rather extreme." But then she turned to look at Natsu.

A pink-haired arsonist was her soul mate. She had to admit the idea that they could have true love was a bit comical. But he looked rather charming, in a silly way, with his pink hair and long scarf and strong build. Perhaps it could work out…

"Would you like to go out for coffee sometime, Natsu?" Lisanna asked before she could talk herself out of it.

He grinned. "How could I say no to my soul mate?" He seemed to think that it was possible, maybe because he'd known Happy for longer and trusted him more.

"I'll see you at the coffee place in town at six?"

"It's a date."


End file.
